To the Wellington light rail email list …

An invitation forwarded as requested below.

It would appear that the anti-rail forces are gearing up for a real selling job, to ‘keep Wellington rail crippled’ and making sure that the mass transit severance between the suburban rail system – the PT spine for three quarters of the region’s half million population and quite light-rail-like in its operation – and the three quarters of the regional economic activity that takes place south of the Railway Station, is permanent.

This not only ensures that greater Wellington will remain pretty much the only urban area in the world without a city rail link for its rail transit system (once Auckland’s CRL is completed), it also removes from future generations the ability over time to develop a continuous and effective automated electric zero-carbon transit system stretching, potentially, all the way from the Eastern Suburbs/Airport to Masterton and Palmerston North. (See slide 16 of the link below.)

Given the original 1987 Brundtland definition of sustainable development: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (my emphasis), adopting a separate mass transit mode which cannot share the infrastructure for the region’s existing mass transit (covering 92% of the corridor length) is a pretty poor show for a Professor of Sustainability to be advocating for us, whatever its merits for other cities.

And without a rail extension through the CBD and beyond, it is hard to see what would cause a significant transfer from car commuting to public transport for the vast majority of the population – essential to ‘get Wellington moving'. Particularly once Transmission Gully and the associated highway improvements open next year. (Remember Dr Watson, manager of the regional transport studies of the 1990s: "We always came to the same conclusion. Light rail as a stand alone service ( Station to airport ) was not a winner. We needed to extend to Johnsonville or even the Hutt. We looked at operating standard units and light rail on the same tracks and then allowing the light rail to extend into the City. We saw no problem with this..”)

Even the term ’trackless tram’ is an oxymoron – a silly attempt to appropriate the charisma of rail transit for a blatantly non-rail mode, essentially just a guided bus (of which there are numerous proprietary examples, some outright failures). 'Sham tram’ is my description, just like the fake ’trolley’ buses used in some US cites to fool the tourists.

Click here for a link to the 'complete rail' alternative! https://www.rtsa..com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190214-Efford-RTSA-presentation-notes-attachments-with-disclaimer.pdf

Some “tricky questions" which we might ask on Tuesday:

Can the CRRC experimental vehicles run on Wellington’s existing rail network? (The answer to this is obvious, but it establishes that the advocates are pushing for Wellington’s mass transit to be permanently uncompetitive with car commuting.)
How will the CRRC guided bus on a short route attract more car commuters to public transport than a continuous rail spine with ‘direct through service’?
Where in the world (presumably just in China) has the CRRC guided bus technology proven itself in intensive revenue service? Anywhere similar to Wellington?
How can it be claimed that the CRRC guided bus system does not require extensive guideway foundation work when Wellington’s bus lane experience (in Manners Mall etc) suggests the opposite?
What sort of ride quality will the sham tram provide over ordinary streets without a strengthened foundation similar to a proper tramway?
What evidence is there that a bus lane with two dashed lines painted on it will provide more property value uplift and transit-oriented development than a proper tramway with steel rails?
Is the CRRC system proprietary, or can it be used by any competing vehicle manufacturer?
What financial guarantees are there against the CRRC system, once installed, proving unreliable and having to be replaced, as has happened with the guided bus systems in Nancy and Caen? (Not to mention the similar Civis optical system which failed immediately in Las Vegas!)
What experience is there of the CRRC guided bus sharing pedestrian malls? Grass and similar soft landscaping? Viaducts and tunnels? (See slides 13 & 15 of the link.)
How would the CRRC system achieve direct through service between the Wellington and Hutt CBDs, as proposed in 1999?

And so on.

The unsuitability of the CRRC system for Wellington’s current mass transit needs, and the financial risks potentially involved, are pretty obvious to knowledgeable people with a region-wide perspective. The guided bus option is developing a political momentum of its own without justification – another Massive Engineering Mistake in the making. Come and put it to the question!

Nga mihi,

Brent Efford
NZ Agent, Light Rail Transit Assn

Begin forwarded message:

From: Celia Wade-Brown celia.wade-brown@...>
Subject: Fwd: Peter Newman talks Trackless Trams next Tuesday night
Date: 18 June 2019 at 10:09:11 PM NZST
To: Brent Efford brent.efford@...>

I'm sure you will ask some tricky questions and good for you.

From: Simon McManus simon.mcmanus@...>
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2019 3:37:19 PM
To: Rudge, Mike; Tom Pettit; Ralph Chapman; Simon Chapple

Subject: Peter Newman talks Trackless Trams next Tuesday night

Good afternoon everyone,

A quick email to let you know the Peter Newman talk on Trackless Trams is going ahead next week, 6-8pm next Tuesday at Rutherford House.

Thanks to Celia Wade-Brown and David Larsen for your assistance and to Mike Rudge and Stantec for bringing Professor Newman to Wellington.

Celia will be facilitating the event and Barry Mein, Programme Director at Let's Get Welly Moving will be providing a project update, giving us some context before Professor Newman joins us at 7pm.

Event information is now live here, with a link to register, this is a free public event so please do share with your colleagues.
https://www.itsnz.org/events/local-its-events/professor-peter-newman-trackless-trams-talk https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itsnz.org%2Fevents%2Flocal-its-events%2Fprofessor-peter-newman-trackless-trams-talk&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cde7638f940ab4d123c0008d6f39e4e22%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964258582521961&sdata=nD0ijk6wRRTjSW%2BmRJAAD9FrC30PAQJ0gjMUUxAVogM%3D&reserved=0

We will begin promoting through to our email and social media channels and encourage you to share with anyone who might be interested.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Simon McManus
Executive Officer
Intelligent Transport Systems New Zealand Inc
- Driving the Future Transport Conversation -
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